The Goddess
by ImhotepsGirl
Summary: A goddess sends Evelyn on a quest.
1. The Dream Begins

Body

None of the Mummy characters belong to me. All others do. 

Note: This story takes names of some gods and goddesses _in name only_. Any other references to their character may or may not be in accordance with the belief structure, so don't get upset about something being wrong. It wasn't intended to be right in the first place. 

You may note that some parts take place before the story of The Mummy, and some after. (It will all make sense though, I assure you.) I have worked long and hard on this, soyou better like it! j/k! ; ) 

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_She stood before her accusers with defiant eyes. She had angered her peers and now she would pay._

___The guard who held her yanked on her arm and she went down on her knees. He pulled her head up to face her judge._

_"You have gone against my wishes," the judge said, "and the wishes of your people. You have broken the law. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"_

_She stared at the judge. "I have done nothing wrong."_

_The judge nodded once. "So be it. You will be condemned to live in a statue, guarding my palace, until it has been judged that you shall be released."_

_As she was dragged away, she made one last statement. "You can't do this to me, Tauret! I will be back!"_

__***** 

Evelyn O'Connell awoke with a start. What a strange dream she'd just had. It felt so real. She turned to cuddle with Rick but she could not go back to sleep. 

She decided to go downstairs for a glass of milk. Evelyn began to wonder if her work was getting to her. The dream had, of course, been set in Egypt. 

She had just settled down in the kitchen when Rick came in. He gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. "You okay?" 

Evelyn smiled and hugged him. "It was just a bad dream. I'm fine now." 

***** 

**Ancient Egypt**

Anck-su-Namun knelt in front of a statue in the temple. She didn't really feel like praying just now, but she'd do anything to get away from the Pharoah and his hands, not to mention the hard eyes of his daughter. She had never known anyone to hate her as much as Nefertiri did. Anck-su-Namun didn't blame her though. She took the Pharoah's affections away from his daughter. 

"You know, this used to be a palace." 

The voice startled her. She turned to see Asim, one of the Med-Jai. Today was his day to watch after her. Usually, while she was outside the palace, they kept their distance. She was slightly annoyed. 

"Was it?" she said, distracted by her own thoughts. 

Asim moved closer. "Yes, it belonged to the Goddess Tauret." 

Anck-su-Namun looked up to the statue that stood before her. 

"Tauret was a good friend to Isis," Asim explained. "She made her home a temple to the goddess." 

Anck-su-Namun nodded. She was only slightly interested. She came to the temple to be alone. 

Asim looked as though he wanted to say something else, but instead he gave a nod goodbye and stepped back outside. Anck-su-Namun breathed a sigh of relief. She treasured her time alone. The Pharoah didn't give her much of it. 

She looked again to the statue of Isis, then turned to explore the room. Anck-su-Namun had been here many times before, but it never ceased to amaze her. 

Fingering the beautiful decorations that hung on the walls, she wondered what it had been like to live there. It seemed so peaceful. 

As usual, when Anck-su-Namun reached the statue by the door, she frowned. It always sent a chill down her spine. The statue was only an inch or two taller than her. The woman depicted in it seemed as though she were being held in place by an unseen hand at her throat. Her eyes held a sadness Anck-su-Namun couldn't even imagine. She had only looked into the eyes once. 

Beginning to feel as though the statue were looking at her, Anck-su-Namun fled the building. 


	2. Fadil

Body **London, The O'Connell Home**

Evelyn hesitated before climbing into bed. The dream she had experienced two days before still weighed on her mind. 

Rick turned to cuddle but she didn't respond. "Are you mad at me?" 

She looked at him blankly. "What?" 

"What's wrong?" 

Evelyn shook her head. "It's nothing. I think maybe I've been working too hard." 

"Then it's time for you to take a vacation." 

"You might be right." 

They decided to talk about it in the morning. 

***** 

_It was in happier times. The goddess left her home and hurried to the river. She was meeting her husband, who was on a counsel that was to help the people decide whether they should be worshipping in temples or strictly in their own homes. It was a silly thing, the goddess thought. Let them decide on their own. They were capable._

_Yet it was her husband's favorite thing to do. As she approached Aswad, he smiled. She gave him a kiss and asked what they had decided._

_"You'll be surprised," he replied, "but we've asked to hear from a representative of the people."_

_The goddess was surprised. The counsel never bothered with the subjects of their decisions. She assumed her husband had finally decided to take her advice._

_Aswad waved, and a man stepped forward. He bowed his head in greeting. "This is Fadil."_

_The man's kind eyes looked over her. She smiled at him. "What has he to say?"_

_"He believes we should begin building temples immediately," Aswad answered._

_"The people would love a quiet spot set specifically for prayer," Fadil elaborated._

_The goddess clasped her hands together. "Well, then it seems to be settled. When do you start work?"_

_"Tomorrow," Fadil replied._

_Aswad took him aside to finalize plans. The goddess watched the two as they talked. They seemed to have a lot of the same mannerisms. Her husband began consulting a map. Fadil took the opportunity to make eye contact with the goddess. He nodded slightly._

_A voice said, "I am your servant." She couldn't tell if she had thought the words or if someone had spoken them. None were close enough to her to have said anything. She looked back to Fadil, who was now consulting the map as well._

_The goddess frowned. Minutes later, Aswad approached her. "We will be a bit longer. Why don't you go home and I will meet you there for the evening meal?"_

_She nodded and kissed his cheek. One last glance told her Fadil was watching again. She turned and started home. She thought she might have to be careful around him._

_The goddess sighed when her palace came into sight._

The image shimmered. 

_She took in the whole picture, happy._

The image shimmered again. 

_It looked so..._

**** 

Familiar. 

Evelyn sat up in bed, unsure of what to think. She recognized that building from somewhere, but where? 

Sighing, Evelyn got out of bed. Now all of a sudden she was dreaming a love story? She was sure the same woman was in both dreams. Again, it had felt so real. Evelyn could hear the river, smell the moist air surrounding it. No other dream had been so real. 

Heading for the library, Evelyn knew she was in for a long night. She would not be able to sleep until she knew what that building was. 

***** 

**Ancient Egypt**

Nefertiri and Anck-su-Namun sat on opposite sides of the table. Anck-su-Namun could feel Nefertiri's eyes boring into the top of her head. It had been that way all through the evening meal. 

Anck-su-Namun glanced toward the Pharoah, who was consulting with his High Priest, Imhotep. The two obvious had important business with his food. 

She watched the two. They almost looked like best friends. She had yet to talk to Imhotep, but he seemed a perfect match to the Pharoah. She almost wished they were in opposite places. The Pharoah was so...old, compared to her. At least Imhotep was nearer her age group. The Pharoah only wanted to show her off. She wanted someone to talk to. 

When she had arrived at the palace a month before, she thought she would find a friend in Nefertiri. Anck-su-Namun had no idea the Pharoah's daughter would hold such animosity toward her. 

Anck-su-Namun sighed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nefertiri's eyes narrow at her for a brief moment. She continued eating, ignoring it. 

***** 

Nefertiri walked down the endless corridor. She was heading to her daily fighting lesson. Every stepp felt heavier than the last. She always dreaded this time of day, since it brought her in close contact with her father's favorite concubine, Anck-su-Namun. 

She couldn't believe her father had picked someone so arrogant and cruel. Nefertiri knew any fool could tell Anck-su-Namun didn't love him. She just wished he could see it. 

Walking into the room where she was to have her lesson, Nefertiri was relieved to see she was alone. She got two blades off the wall and began to practice. 

She went through several complex steps. At the end, she tripped on her own feet. Nefertiri fell to the floor. She looked up to see Anck-su-Namun standing in the doorway. 

"How long have you been here?" Nefertiri grumbled. 

Anck-su-Namun stepped into the room. "Long enough." She grabbed two more blades off the wall. "Are you ready?" 

They began the lesson. 


	3. A Name

Body _The goddess waited in her prison chamber. She could hear the shrill cries of a child. Surely it was only in her mind. She was sure the baby had been hidden well._

_A guard came to the door. "Need anything?"_

_The goddess shook her head._

_"You have a visitor."_

_Her eyes went wide with surprise at the sight of her visitor. She had thought he would hate her._

_He bowed his head slightly in greeting. "How are you?"_

_She began to cry. "I don't know what to do."_

_"I think you'll be fine," Aswad stated. "You always come through."_

_"I didn't think you'd come to see me," she said softly._

_Aswad paused. "Has he?"_

_The goddess shook her head sadly._

_"Was it worth it?"_

_The goddess contemplated the question. "Yes," she whispered._

_Aswad smiled sadly. "Goodbye, Kanika."_

***** 

**London**

Rick woke late in the afternoon. He cursed as he got out of bed. He hated getting up late. Evelyn was supposed to wake him. He looked around. She wasn't in the bedroom. 

Searching the house, Rick discovered his wife in her study. He had walked in angry, but looking at her now, he almost laughed. 

The study was a mess. Books littered every available surface. Evelyn sat at her desk, frantically searching through one book after another. 

Rick coughed. Evelyn looked up, smiled, and went back to what she was doing. "What's going on?" he asked. 

"I know her name," Evelyn muttered, "but I can't find it anywhere." 

"Who's name?" 

"The girl from the dream." 

Rick didn't even pretend he was up-to-date. "Uh, yeah. Is that why you didn't wake me?" 

Evelyn glanced at the clock on her desk. "I'm sorry. I've just been so busy." 

"You plan on cleaning up?" Usually he didn't worry about it but she didn't look like it bothered her in the least, so he thought he ought to. 

Evelyn nodded absently. "Yes, yes. When I've found it." 

"Found what?" 

She glared at him and he smiled in return. He was messing with her. "If you're not going to help you can go away, you know." 

Rick shrugged and started picking through books. With a sigh, he asked, "What name am I looking for?" 

***** 

**Ancient Egypt**

Once again the day found Anck-su-Namun visiting the temples. When she reached Isis' temple, she slid past the statue guarding the door. 

She knelt silently for several minutes. When she was done, she stood and turned to leave. Her heart jumped in her throat. Anck-su-Namun hadn't expected anyone to be around. Here was Nefertiri, standing in the doorway and staring at that haunting statue. 

Nefertiri noticed she was being watched and blushed, giving Anck-su-Namun an embarrassed nod. Gone were the dirty looks. Anck-su-Namun nodded back and disappeared outside. 

Now curious about the statue, she appealed to Bomani, her Med-Jai protector of the day, to bring Asim to her chamber when they reached the palace. 

"You called for me, my lady?" Asim said as he entered her room. 

Anck-su-Namun said, "Yes, tell me something. You know the temple of Isis well?" 

Asim nodded in reply. 

"What is the statue near the door?" 

He thought for a moment. "It is a sad tale." 

"Tell it to me." Anck-su-Namun settled to listen. 

"There was a goddess once who defied her peers. She did something strictly forbidden and was punished most severely for it." 

Anck-su-Namun was interested. "What did she do?" 

"She bore a commoner's child." 

This was not what she expected. "Why was that forbidden?" 

"Common children born of gods have no place in either world." 

"But the Pharoah is the god's representative?" 

"That is different. He is the messenger. These children simply have no place." 

Anck-su-Namun bid him to continue. "What was the punishment?" 

"The statue you pass when you worship Isis is not only a statue." 

Confusion lit Anck-su-Namun's features. 

"It _is_ the goddess." 

She gasped. She had always thought the statue was more lifelike than any other. "What happened to the child?" 

Asim became quiet. "She was never found," he said quietly. 

_She?_


	4. Nefertiri's Secret

Body _Time took on new meaning. With her husband helping oversee the building of new temples, Kanika had occasion to slip down and watch. She enjoyed talking to the common people. Especially Fadil._

_While they discussed plans for new buildings and statues, Fadil would look at her and speak to her husband. He would talk to her, somehow, and she would listen. Sometimes she was able to talk to him, when he was face to face with her. She was never to figure out how his voice reached inside her head. He was truly magnificent._

_Late one evening she could stand it no longer. Making sure Aswad was asleep, she crept into the night and set off to Fadil's home._

_He opened the door when she reached it, as if expecting her. He took her straight into his arms. She stayed the night._

_The next morning she made the excuse of having taken an early morning walk. Aside from the arriving in the morning, this was repeated over several months._

_Kanika was undeniably hooked on Fadil._

***** 

**London**

As a last resort, Evelyn went to the Bembridge scholars. She was met with blank stares and upturned noses. 

They refused to even look into it, considering the amazingly large amount of proof she _didn't_ have that the goddess Kanika had even existed. She couldn't very well say, "Well, it's true because I've been dreaming about it." 

She got home from the failed attempt to find Rick sitting on the couch. He didn't look happy. 

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting next to him. 

"Am I going to ahve to drag you away?" he replied. 

Evelyn was confused. 

"Our vacation!" he stated, trying hard not to shake her. 

"Oh, I'm sorry," Evelyn said. "Where should we go?" 

"How about anywhere that isn't Egypt?" Rick suggested. 

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "I can't promise that." 

Rick sighed. 

***** 

_In her prison chamber, Kanika cried softly. She had hoped to hear something from Fadil. It had been two days since she had her baby. Two days she had been locked away. She couldn't take any more silence._

_The guard came back to her room. "Visitor," he mumbled, leaving._

_Kanika's heart leapt. "Fadil!"_

_"I came as soon as I could," he said. "I won't have much time before they find out who I am. Just know that your daughter is safe. Her name is Mandisa."_

_The guard was coming back around._

_"I have to go," Fadil said._

_They kissed briefly but passionately before he disappeared out the door. He would never return._

_"Tauret, please be kind," Kanika prayed._

***** 

**Ancient Egypt**

Anck-su-Namun was lucky. On this day, she didn't have to see the Pharoah at all. Nefertiri was nowhere to be seen as well. They had no lessons today, so her entire day was her own. 

In the morning, she just sat in her room, looking out the window and daydreaming. She hadn't been able to do that in a long time. She watched the people bustle about in the courtyard. 

After the noon meal, she decided to join them. Anck-su-Namun wandered the courtyard, taking it all in. Then she extended her walk to the temples. 

She walked into the temple of Osiris in the middle of a ritual or some sort of thing, being conducted by Imhotep. She blushed in embarrassment. No one had told her the days events. 

She glared at Bomani, who was again guarding her. 

"I'm sorry, my lady," he apologized. "I thought you knew." 

From then on, she was careful to peek in first. At the temple of Isis, she got another surprise. 

Kneeling before a statue was Nefertiri. Her eyes were closed and her lips moved in silent prayer. Anck-su-Namun wondered where her Med-Jai was, and realized she had probably snuck out of the palace. 

Nefertiri began to speak. "Goddess Tauret, I pray to you this day that you grant my mother salvation and free her from the curse you laid upon her. She has paid for her crime, please keep her no longer." 

Anck-su-Namun finally noticed something that had been nagging at her brain since she came to this scene. Nefertiri was kneeling in front of the haunting statue. 


	5. Vacation to Egypt?!

Body **London**

Evelyn was ecstatic. After the dream she had last night, she finally had something to go on. Although she could not find the Goddess Kanika anywhere, Tauret was familiar to her. In fact, she knew of a place very near Thebes, that was supposed to have been her home. 

Now she had to convince Rick to go. 

"Evelyn!" 

"Look, I know you don't want to go there but I have to find out about this!" 

"No, you don't! This is what we're trying to get away from!" 

Evelyn snuggled up to Rick. "Please? I won't be able to rest until I find this." She started to nibble on his neck. 

"No fair, you know my weaknesses!" Rick cried half-heartedly. 

Evelyn knew they were going. Shortly after, they began to pack, and Rick made arrangements. 

She could hardly wait to get to the bottom of these dreams. 

"We leave tomorrow," Rick said when he entered the room. 

"Great!" Evelyn said, slamming her suitcase shut. 

***** 

_It had been nine long, agonizing months. Kanika had worried the entire time. Aswad was so happy. So was Kanika, but not quite for the same reason._

_The baby wasn't his. It belonged to Fadil. Fadil knew. He was also happy. He constantly told her not to worry. No one could possibly find out._

_She came to see him more nights than not, feeling greatful that Aswad slept heavily. Not once did he notice she had left._

_One night while she lay in his arms, Kanika felt a stinging pain run through her. Fadil immediately jumped up and called for his neighbor, a midwife. The woman and her two daughters came quickly to help._

_"This can't happen now," Kanika breathed._

_"It can and it is," the woman said, getting ready._

_Another pain wracked her body. She looked at Fadil. "Now it's time to worry," she said._

_Fadil nodded._

_Several hours later, Kanika held a squirming baby girl in her arms. Fadil looked down on them and smiled._

_The door flew open. "You!"_

_Kanika gasped. "How did you find me?"_

_Aswad stared at her. "I woke to an empty bed. I came searching for you in fear that something had happened to the baby. I see that it has."_

_Guards filled the room. In the struggle that ensued, the baby disappeared from Kanika's arms and Fadil and the three women disappeared into the night._

***** 

**Ancient Egypt**

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

Asim stood in Anck-su-Namun's chamber. He was to guard her today. He had not expectd those to be her first words to him. 

"What should I have told you, my lady?" 

"Did you know Nefertiri prays to the guardian statue?" 

Asim looked away. "Yes." 

"Why is that?" She asked. 

"It is her mother." 

"That is what I heard her say." 

Asim looked back at her. "Mandisa's soul is in her body." 

Anck-su-Namun wasn't exactly sure who that was. "Did she tell you all this?" 

"No." 

This was not the answer Anck-su-Namun had expected. "Then how do you know?" 

Asim sighed deeply. "I am Mandisa's father, Fadil." 

Anck-su-Namun's jaw dropped. 

***** 

**Thebes**

It took Evelyn five frustrating days to locate the palace. It was half buried in sand. Quite obviously it hadn't been used for a long time. 

They climbed in a window. Most of the inside was half-buried in sand as well. The roof was also missing. Evelyn was amazed that she could still recognize it. 

Evelyn crawled through one doorway and screamed. Rick caught her as she began to fall headfirst. Once they could both sit back, Evelyn held Rick tightly. 

"That room!" she cried. "It's empty!" 

Rick frowned. "It can't be. The rest of the place is buried in sand." 

"Look for yourself." 

Rick looked. Sure enough, the sand stopped at that room, as if someone had recently dug it out. He jumped down into it and helped her down. "Do we really want to be here?" he asked. 

Evelyn looked around. She saw the statue near the front entrance and went to examine it. "This is it!" she cried. "This is what we came here for!" 

"Great, now can we go have a real vacation?" 

Evelyn glared at him. She looked back at the statue and thought for a minute. "Now what am I supposed to do?" 


	6. The Jewel

Body _Days before Tauret left her palace to take on another form, she buried a jewel under the statue of Isis. It had been worn by Kanika before her imprisionment in the statue._

_The day she had been sentenced, Tauret's guards held Kanika to the wall by her throat. Tauret stepped forward and fingered the green jewel around Kanika's neck. Aswad had given it to her on their wedding day._

_"As I take this jewel, you will turn to stone. When it is returned to you, you will be freed," Tauret decreed. She pulled the jewel from Kanika's neck and within seconds, she was stone._

_The day Tauret left she bid the statue farewell. "Don't worry, your day will come."_

***** 

Evelyn was not in bed when Rick woke up. "Not again," he mumbled. He got up to look for her. He found her ten minutes later in the lobby of the hotel they were in. She was at a table, writing. 

When Rick joined her, she said, "The Bembridge scholars are going to love this." 

"What?" 

"I'm writing about what we've discovered. Also, I know what to do now." 

Rick was skeptical. "And that is?" 

Evelyn beamed at him. "Dig under the statue of Isis." 

"Which one is that?" 

"The big one." 

"Oh." Rick sat down. "What are we digging for?" 

"A jewel." 

"Okay, makes perfect sense now." 

"Don't be sarcastic." 

Rick stood up again. "Let's go." 

Evelyn stared at him. "Now?" 

"Yes," he replied, helping her up. "The sooner we take care of this, the sooner we can go on a real vacation." 

***** 

**Ancient Egypt**

Anck-su-Namun went to Nefertiri's bedchamber. She didn't want to do this, but she felt she had to. Nefertiri answered the door and stared at her icily. 

"I know about the statue you pray to." Anck-su-Namun thought being direct would save time and dirty looks. 

Nefertiri stared at her for a moment. "Come in," she said quietly. 

"How did you find out about it?" Anck-su-Namun asked, relaxing slightly. 

"I should ask you the same thing." 

"I saw you." 

Nefertiri took that in. "I'd been having dreams about it. Enough to remind me of who I was, but then suddenly another woman entered the dream and said, 'It is not time yet.' The dreams then stopped." 

"Have you talked to Asim?" 

"Yes, he was having dreams too. He said he saw the same woman." 

"So what are you going to do?" 

Nefertiri sighed. "I can't do anything. 'It is not time.' All I can do is pray." 

Anck-su-Namun surprised herself by putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'll pray with you." 

Nefertiri smiled at her, for the first time. 

***** 

**Thebes**

For hours the two hacked at the base of Isis. Evelyn finally had to take a break. She studied the statue of Kanika. That's odd." 

Rick stopped digging. "What?" 

"Well, it seems that this statue has changed." 

He came up beside her." How?" 

Evelyn pointed at the eyes. "They were horribly sad yesterday." 

Rick peered at the statue. "They look normal." 

"Exactly." 

"That _is_ weird." 

Evelyn looked back to their dig site. "We should keep going." 

Only a few minutes later, Rick popped up with a smile on his face. He tossed the jewel at Evelyn. She examined it. It was small, round, and smooth, the color of lush grass. It was alone. 

"Was there a necklace to this?" she asked him. 

Rick searched the hole. "No." 

Sighing, Evelyn took off her own necklace and switched her locket with the jewel. She fastened it to the neck of the statue. 

The jewel began to glow. Within seconds, it surrounded the statue. The light became so bright they had to turn their heads. When the light began to dim, they looked again. There stood a woman in place of the statue. She looked at Evelyn, tears in her eyes. 

"Mandisa," she said. 

Evelyn smiled and stepped forward. "Finally, you were allowed to save me. I thought the day would never come," Kanika continued. 

The two women hugged. 

"You grew up so well. I have often wondered about you. Fadil could only tell me a little." 

"What will you do now?" Evelyn asked. 

Kanika smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. And I will see you from time to time." Kanika looked to the sky. "Now I must go where I belong." 

Evelyn looked up as well. She saw nothing but blue sky. She could only imagine what the goddess saw. 

"I will miss you," Evelyn said. 

Kanika hugged her again. "Not for long." 

The jewel around her neck began to glow again. Rick and Evelyn had to look away as it engulfed her body. "I will leave you a gift," she said as the light dimmed and she disappeared. 

In her place was another statue of her, this one much happier. 

Back at the hotel, Evelyn finished writing her account of what happened, stretching the truth a bit to cover the missing pieces about the dreams. She sent it off to the Bembridge scholars, along with yet another application. 

Two weeks later, they returned on from their vacation in America. Sitting neatly in the pile of mail they had recieved while away was an acceptance letter from the Bembridge scholars. 

***** 

~*~*~The End~*~*~ 


End file.
